I get bothered and wonder why some movie maker will throw in a bad word for no appearent reason. Movies that I would want my kids to see, I don't because of that. And I don't really want to see them myself for the same reason. Good story telling doesn't need it. I've just started getting movies from http://www.cleanfilms.com Last night we watched White Noise. It was great. I watched it with my two daughters 14 and 12. It was their first suspenceful/creepy/scary movie. Lights out, surround woofer turn up nice and loud. I have a bunch of movies queued up to be sent to me. All 3 Matrix movies, Panic Room, Arlington Road. They edit for sexual content, language and graghic violence. I'm sure most of you wont really care to see an edited movie, but for those that have wondered about them. I'm sold on it now. I'd heard of them a few years ago, but just got it going this week. I saw White Noise in the theater, and the edited version. The edits were great. I was glad to see the language both spoken and writtin in the log book in a scene in the movie removed. Arlington Road is one of my favorite movies, I'll be glad to share that with my kids too.

Anyway, if you live in the US, check em out. Perhaps there is something like it in other countries.

-Darin

Moved to the Entertainment forum.

Koffee

Mod

Hey, I'm trying to share this with just my brothers on BMX bikes. Not the WHOLE forum. I never wonder off the BMX page to any other part of the forum. I suspect no one else does either. Oh well.

So basically I can watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in twenty minutes. Sounds awesome.

So basically I can watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in twenty minutes. Sounds awesome.

Not sure. Never seen it. The isn't totally removed from what I can tell. Im not sure what they call graphic.

My point is that watered-down movies is hardly what I would want to see.

Whats the point of watching a movie like Gladiator if I don't get to see graphic violence? That's practically the whole of the movie.

I think you should do the filmmakers justice by watching it in its entire form. If you don't want to hear language and see nudity, you can just as easily go without seeing the movie as you can watch an edited one. Watching movies on TV channels that edit everything out is annoying.

Why not just allow and leave all the bad language on the BMX forum. If you don't want to read the language, you can find another forum right? I'm thankful for the mods attention to this. Removing language is not watering anything down. You don't need foul language to make a point. I suppose there are those that do "need" it to be entertained. I'm not one. I don't watch a movie to see gore. I can go to rotten.com to see that. I like a good story in my movie, and I have never felt that foul language has added anything. There are those of us out there. Then there are people that don't share this. At least there is an opportunity to see films cleaned up. I certainly would never sit down and watch a movie with my kids that had a bunch of foul language or nudity. That's just sick.

Read this:

https://secure.cleanfilms.com/customerpraise.phtml

^^^^ Only parents will understand your concerns, Darin.
Even supposedly harmless Disney ani films have stuff that is
offensive to me. Oh well...the world is changing.

Why not just allow and leave all the bad language on the BMX forum. If you don't want to read the language, you can find another forum right? I'm thankful for the mods attention to this. Removing language is not watering anything down. You don't need foul language to make a point.

I agree, you don't have to use foul language to make a point. However, there's a great difference between art (the movie in this case), and an online discussion board. The online discussion board will get out of hand real quick if language is allowed freely, porn comes next, then warez, then probably kid porn.. or whatever. But a movie is a form of art, meant to convey a story, and how the directors percieved it. The story is based on life, and life has plenty of that kind of thing. There are plenty of movies in which the story can be told perfectly fine without showing nudity or language. But there are others, usually the better ones, that are made exactly as the director wants - if he/she interprets the story as involving characters that use strong language and violence all the time, that's up to them. If it involves sex, who's to say they should go against their judgement and remove something that's such a part of life, just so people who don't want their kids to be exposed to it will buy the film?

If all you're after is entertainment, sure you'll be thrilled to see a mangled, short version of the film that the director and filmmakers spent so long producing just how they wanted it to be. Because heaven forbid your kids be exposed to some 'F' and 'N' words and some boobs, but sure, why not let them watch a movie intended for mature audiences anyway.

If you want to watch the movie and enjoy it as the filmmakers intended it to be enjoyed, don't watch a crippled version.

I'm going to have to disagree. The director made the film, and in most cases, not the stroy. Just because the director thinks it needs language or , doesn't mean it does. Just means he can't make his point without it. Lord of the Rings. 12 hours of incredible film. No swearing or . Imagin that. The Village, Signs. Other great . We are Christians, and we will not compromise on this. And I am self employed, I rarely run into people that use foul language. It's my choice. I believe it wrong to hold such things as acceptable. I run into sometimes. I'm still shocked when I hear foul language. I don't what to hear it, and I don't want ot see in films. What's the point anyway. If you need to see , get married. That one of the benifits of being married. And I don't what to watch a movie the way a film maker ment to be enjoyed, and the "crippled" version will be just fine.

I'm wondering what my Cybersitter is filtering out of this page already. I just noticed that the word " " is being filtered.

I'm going to have to disagree. The director made the film, and in most cases, not the stroy. Just because the director thinks it needs language or , doesn't mean it does. Just means he can't make his point without it. Lord of the Rings. 12 hours of incredible film. No swearing or . Imagin that. The Village, Signs. Other great . We are Christians, and we will not compromise on this. And I am self employed, I rarely run into people that use foul language. It's my choice. I believe it wrong to hold such things as acceptable. I run into sometimes. I'm still shocked when I hear foul language. I don't what to hear it, and I don't want ot see in films. What's the point anyway. If you need to see , get married. That one of the benifits of being married. And I don't what to watch a movie the way a film maker ment to be enjoyed, and the "crippled" version will be just fine.


Ah, the truth comes out. Because of your uptight religous morality you find the naked human form objectionable... unless of course it's your spouse. According to the fable wasn't the human body formed by your God? How can anything created by the power you worship be objectionable? :eek:

I see too that you find it objectionable to 'say' or type euphanistic words that reference certian body parts. But I see a problem in the presentation here... you've omitted these 'offensive' words by typing spaces to represent these 'offensive' words. To me that indicates that you've at least thought these words in you mind. Sin comitted pal. :p

I find it patheticly funny that theses hollier than thou types will exclaim "Cheese & Crackers!" in substitution for the more common "Jesus Christ!". C'mon pallie, get over yourself, we all know what you mean so go ahead and say it. :lol:

Oh, and if a kid is old enough to have the crap scared out of him/her by some horror film, then they are old enough to see the ass it comes out of as well :D

Sheesh!:rolleyes:

So basically I can watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in twenty minutes. Sounds awesome.
:lol:

The Cl(ean)iff Notes of movies

I'd like to see Kill Bill or Pulp Fiction

:lol:

The Cl(ean)iff Notes of movies

I'd like to see Kill Bill or Pulp Fiction

Or anything starring Eddie Murphy :)

I absolutely disagree Darin!

Your kids are going to be exposed to the REAL WORLD soon; violence, nudity, and disturbing images are a part of life. It is better to know what's out there rather than to truly be shocked by our modern culture.
Film is an expression of art. Period. Would you cover the genitals on Michelangelo's and Donatello's David? Directors are artists and artist use imagery to express ideas and convey messages. The violence in film and fiction actually make me feel better and more repulsed at REAL violence.
I'm 16 and I have seen an extensive amount of films. I find it fascinating how the illusion of reality is crafted and the amount of work put into it. My parents have let me view any film I wanted to since I began to have interest in it. God forbid I should be underestimated for my age and be depraved of the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of art which I have gained from my hobby.
Take GREAT directors like Stanley Kubrick, Jean Luc Godard, or Aronofsky. Have you ever stopped to wonder WHY the director chooses to portray their vision in a certain kind of composition? Instead of refusing the violence in, say, A Clockwork Orange, ask yourself why it is in there and what purpose does it serve to enhance the film? Superb movie by the way, ingenius structure and pacing, and controversial, well backed-up message.
Let your kids see real art, coming from a high school kid who loves film.:D

And please don't use your religion as an excuse!
God gave us a great gift, the mind. The ability to think, to create great things, to reason, and to ask questions. Would Jesus really care if you saw a violent movie? One that you learned something from, and one that you, being a reasonable and decent person, cannot possibly be hurt or affected by in a detrimental way. Wouldn't you expect the same from your kids? Wouldn't Jesus really care about how you REALLY acted and whether you utilized your abilities to the fullest?

^^^^ Only parents will understand your concerns, Darin.
Even supposedly harmless Disney ani films have stuff that is
offensive to me. Oh well...the world is changing.

Didn't know Disney made films about ani. That is disgusting!

We are Christians, and we will not compromise on this. Of course you should follow your conscience. However, I wonder about the notion that it's somehow "Christian" to censor out violence in film - or books for that matter. Certainly there's plenty of gore in the Bible: the how many thousands being slaughtered with a jawbone, or Goliath being decapitated, or for that matter the crucifixion. I'm not being sacriligious here, I respect the Bible, and I think it's ironic that it too has been censored at times.

FMI, what would be the Christian rationale not to hear obscene words like those Anglo-Saxon classics? I can see that you might object to profanity, ie references to God etc. taken in vain.

On another topic, as a kid I was a great admirer of Ulysses, and read various kid versions of the Odyssey and the Iliad, which emphasized his wisdom and heroism: and it was quite a disappointment to eventually read the adult versions and discover that he was a murderous, scheming, vow-breaking, womanizing, self-serving psychopath. I'd been fed a bunch of lies!

The point being that we may want to shield our kids to a degree from the bad side of life, but that other reality is out there and they're going to have to find out about it at some point.

Darin,

You are doing what you think is best for you and your kids, GOOD FOR YOU!!

Everything else is crap.

If the movie isn't watchable in the edited version then its not worth watching with your family.


Dave T.

I don't think this is anything to "agree" or "disagree" with, this OP isn't arguing for government censorship (which is definitely a bad thing), he just wants to be able to watch popular films with his children--without having to worry about the content.

This is exactly what parents should be doing--patronizing a private company that provides this useful service, as opposed to concerned parents who lobby congress in support of censorship.

I would definitely recommend this service to people (and will if the subject comes up).

Parents get what they want, a company carves out a niche for itself--what could be wrong with this scenario?!?!

This is also a great defense against government censorship--that private companies are able to provide this service to concerned parents. If companies like this didn't exist, you'd have people whining for the government to step in.

If you're against government censorship you should support services like this. Cooker and DTrain are taking too narrow a view on this subject--it has nothing to do with "art" and everything to do with commerce and keeping government intervention OUT of peoples' lives.

Let people make their own decisions. btw, I often get up in the middle of films to take a leak--and as a result don't see the film "as the director intended"--what's the difference? Or what if I watch it on a 30" television, that's not as the "director intended". Or what about foreign language films I watch, with imperfect subtitles? The "art as the artist intended" argument is shortsighted and doesn't fly.

Cooker and DTrain are taking too narrow a view on this subject--it has nothing to do with "art" and everything to do with commerce and keeping government intervention OUT of peoples' lives.

Let people make their own decisions.

I don't think I said anything that you seem to be attributing to me. RGC

I absolutely disagree Darin!

Your kids are going to be exposed to the REAL WORLD soon; violence, nudity, and disturbing images are a part of life. It is better to know what's out there rather than to truly be shocked by our modern culture.


Since it's quite likely that they will also be exposed to porn, beer, pot etc when they are adults, should I not expose them to that now? The culture we live except things as normal and acceptable. Most people let the current culture sway their morals. Because something is acceptable by your neighbors, movie makers etc, doesn't make it so. It just means that they are wrong. There is nothing wrong with going against whats popular. You will never regret doing the right thing. I made all the same arguements when I was younger that some of you are making. When you have your own kids, and you look at the sick twisted world around you that would like to see your kids follow what they think is normal, it's different, for some parents. I've had a freinds that put thier teen daughter on the pill, saying they are going to "do it" anyway. The real world is out there waiting, but it's not going to be in my house. And what ever they do when they grow up, it won't be because I encouraged it, or provided and atmosphere for it to be acceptable. They will make their own decisions, and they may make poor ones. But I'm convinced that the odds that they will make good and right decisions are alot better if I didn't condone immorality in my home in front of them as children. Language and nudity don't really fall in the same category as violence to me. My concern isn't really the violence being edited from the movies. But I instantly loose respect for someone I meet that uses foul language or talks about women sexually. They instantly appear to me as uneducated and unable to make a point with out an explitive and having no selfcoltrol.

I fall into a category of a low percentage of parents, which is ok with me. I may not be able to shiled my kids from the depraved world that waits for them when they are adults, but they will better know whats wrong around them. This is not a religios debate. The Bible has stories of murder, rape, incest, sin, and Salvation and Redemtion. It tells the whole story. Reading Gods word is one thing, watching it for entertainment is another.

My time aloted for this debate is over. I have nothing more to add. Most of you will disagree. If you have kids, I'm a little suprised. If you don't, you'll have a better grasp of my point when you do.

One last thing. We home school. Think of it like this. If you had a brand knew thousands of dollars bike, or brand knew Lexus, Viper or whatever. Would you let a perfect stranger take it out for a drive every day for 18 years? Would you let a perfect stranger hold your winning lotto ticket for you? My kids are worth more to me than anything. I don't trust liberal public education with their minds for 8 hours a day. Plus, we wake board in the mornings while the other kids are sitting in class. :) Anyway, my college educated wife does the homeschooling. I work, and pay for thier education twice.

-Darin

Ever think of moving?


http://christianexodus.org/

So basically I can watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in twenty minutes. Sounds awesome.

"Those cops would pay top dollar to beat her into submission and gang **** her"
Jonny Depp.

I just don't understand how that could be a movie if it was censored.

I'm going to have to disagree. The director made the film, and in most cases, not the stroy. Just because the director thinks it needs language or , doesn't mean it does. Just means he can't make his point without it. Lord of the Rings. 12 hours of incredible film. No swearing or . Imagin that.

The Lord of the Rings was written in the 1940s as a children's book, and the movie was adapted from that. So I don't see at all how that argument is valid.

Saving Private Ryan was written as a story for adults, not children, and the cursing and graphic violence makes it just that much more authentic. I don't know about you, but something tells me that when you're getting shot at, you're going to be dropping the F-bomb quite a bit, rather than saying "gee-willikers, those bullets could hurt us, hurt us bad, Johnson!"

Since it's quite likely that they will also be exposed to porn, beer, pot etc when they are adults, should I not expose them to that now? The culture we live except things as normal and acceptable. Most people let the current culture sway their morals. Because something is acceptable by your neighbors, movie makers etc, doesn't make it so. It just means that they are wrong. There is nothing wrong with going against whats popular. You will never regret doing the right thing. I made all the same arguements when I was younger that some of you are making. When you have your own kids, and you look at the sick twisted world around you that would like to see your kids follow what they think is normal, it's different, for some parents. I've had a freinds that put thier teen daughter on the pill, saying they are going to "do it" anyway. The real world is out there waiting, but it's not going to be in my house. And what ever they do when they grow up, it won't be because I encouraged it, or provided and atmosphere for it to be acceptable. They will make their own decisions, and they may make poor ones. But I'm convinced that the odds that they will make good and right decisions are alot better if I didn't condone immorality in my home in front of them as children. Language and nudity don't really fall in the same category as violence to me. My concern isn't really the violence being edited from the movies. But I instantly loose respect for someone I meet that uses foul language or talks about women sexually. They instantly appear to me as uneducated and unable to make a point with out an explitive and having no selfcoltrol.

I fall into a category of a low percentage of parents, which is ok with me. I may not be able to shiled my kids from the depraved world that waits for them when they are adults, but they will better know whats wrong around them. This is not a religios debate. The Bible has stories of murder, rape, incest, sin, and Salvation and Redemtion. It tells the whole story. Reading Gods word is one thing, watching it for entertainment is another.

My time aloted for this debate is over. I have nothing more to add. Most of you will disagree. If you have kids, I'm a little suprised. If you don't, you'll have a better grasp of my point when you do.

One last thing. We home school. Think of it like this. If you had a brand knew thousands of dollars bike, or brand knew Lexus, Viper or whatever. Would you let a perfect stranger take it out for a drive every day for 18 years? Would you let a perfect stranger hold your winning lotto ticket for you? My kids are worth more to me than anything. I don't trust liberal public education with their minds for 8 hours a day. Plus, we wake board in the mornings while the other kids are sitting in class. :) Anyway, my college educated wife does the homeschooling. I work, and pay for thier education twice.

-Darin

I think the issue is your narrow minded view as an adult, you forget about how you felt as a kid. Being 16, I have the perspective of the world that is bordering onto adulthood. At a certain age, sheltering kids from the real world does NO good. It's better to show them how it is, have themselve figure out between good and evil, and have decide what to do to make the world better. Overprotection can prevent preparation and knowledge for later on.
My argument is your view of films is very simplistic and short-sighted. You decide whether things are black or white, without considering their importance or purpose.
Violence, nudity, or crude language in film is not necessary bad. Nor will it make your children do evil (provided they have some intelligent and reasoning)
Things aren't black and white.
I will provide two examples from the bible that will further my point.


1: Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
2: "Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat."
3: He answered them, "And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
4: For God commanded, `Honor your father and your mother,' and, `He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die.'
5: But you say, `If any one tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is given to God, he need not honor his father.'
6: So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word of God.
7: You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8: `This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
9: in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'"
10: And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand:
11: not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."
12: Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"
13: He answered, "Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.
14: Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
15: But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us."
16: And he said, "Are you also still without understanding?
17: Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and so passes on?
18: But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a man.
19: For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander.
20: These are what defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

Jesus HIMSELF said "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this deflines a man" You should be worried about your children's actions and behavior, NOT what goes in them (what they are exposed to). We are all reasonable, intelligent humans. We can decide what's right and wrong. Just because we see evil, doesn't mean we'll do it. It's not monkey see, monkey do. In fact, when most see evil, they are repulsed by it and despise it even more. Seeing violence, nudity, and use of crude language in film is not inherently evil, or pointless. In most decent films, it serves an important purpose. Take the example of "A Clockwork Orange" I've posted above.



1: At Caesare'a there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort,
2: a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms liberally to the people, and prayed constantly to God.
3: About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius."
4: And he stared at him in terror, and said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.
5: And now send men to Joppa, and bring one Simon who is called Peter;
6: he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside."
7: When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those that waited on him,
8: and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
9: The next day, as they were on their journey and coming near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.
10: And he became hungry and desired something to eat; but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance
11: and saw the heaven opened, and something descending, like a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth.
12: In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air.
13: And there came a voice to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat."
14: But Peter said, "No, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean."
15: And the voice came to him again a second time, "What God has cleansed, you must not call profane."

God told Peter "What God as cleansed, you must not call profane." Your way of conservative (not the political meaning) thinking mirrors that of the Pharisees which Jesus called hypocrites. God gave us the ability to think and use our minds. We are able to create art. You object to nudity, even purposeful nudity that serves an important role in the film. We are created in God's image. That which God created and cleansed, you must not call profane.

You underestimate your children for their age, the same way you underestimate us. I am not in my 6th year of Catholic education to not know a thing or two about Christianity. Please do not use your religion as an excuse for your own insecurities. That gives a bad name to my religion. I pity your childern for they will not be able to experience art at its fullest, it may even be of great interest to them. I also pity them for they will be totally unprepared for the real world. I hope you read this and think about the point I'm trying to make. It's not about compromising, it's about possible misinterpretation and overprotectiveness.

Additionally, your attack on public education is totally unwarranted. You object to public education because of our strict separation of church and state. So what if God is not taught in public schools (not everyone is Christian in America!)? What if your Christian children had to go to a public school in a Muslim nation and had to be taught Islam? Though I do not attend a public school, I'm grateful I live in a place where such a thing exists and works to educate so many kids. Besides, that's why we have Church, Sunday School, and/or private schools. I bet you're probably a bible-belt type Christian huh? It figures, Catholics have always had more sensibility.

I find it odd how you wouldn't group violence with nudity, sex, and profanity. It's like Grand Theft Auto 3, they found a nude scene and everyone goes WHOA! and quickly slaps on a label that you can't buy it if under 18. But all along, you could blow people's heads off, chop them up with CHAINSAWS, and machine-gun prostitutes. Yet, one pixelized animated nude scene, and America freaks out over it! WOW! Would you honesty clothe Michelangelo's David, or would you want your childern to experience a great artwork, from a person using his God-given talents to the fullest? I hope you would reconsider your narrow-minded view on film, perhaps it will benefit both them and you. :)

Remember, it is not what goes in that defiles, but what comes out!

Ouch, I can imagine what these kids are going to go through when they go to college, leave the haven (see: opiate) of the church, and get jobs.

This thread shoud be retitled to: "My wife has me so whipped that I have to pay extra to watch edited movies so that I can't see any breasts other than hers, ever. She even installed CyberSitter on my PC so I can't look at porn when she's out of the house."

I don't think this is anything to "agree" or "disagree" with, this OP isn't arguing for government censorship (which is definitely a bad thing), he just wants to be able to watch popular films with his children--without having to worry about the content.

This is exactly what parents should be doing--patronizing a private company that provides this useful service, as opposed to concerned parents who lobby congress in support of censorship.

I would definitely recommend this service to people (and will if the subject comes up).

Parents get what they want, a company carves out a niche for itself--what could be wrong with this scenario?!?!

This is also a great defense against government censorship--that private companies are able to provide this service to concerned parents. If companies like this didn't exist, you'd have people whining for the government to step in.

If you're against government censorship you should support services like this. Cooker and DTrain are taking too narrow a view on this subject--it has nothing to do with "art" and everything to do with commerce and keeping government intervention OUT of peoples' lives.

Let people make their own decisions. btw, I often get up in the middle of films to take a leak--and as a result don't see the film "as the director intended"--what's the difference? Or what if I watch it on a 30" television, that's not as the "director intended". Or what about foreign language films I watch, with imperfect subtitles? The "art as the artist intended" argument is shortsighted and doesn't fly.

:beer:

+10 !

Even if Darin's kids know they are watching an edited version It will open
up healthy dialog later. As a parent, I applaud the OP's sensibilities, agree or disagree.

So basically I can watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in twenty minutes. Sounds awesome.

You can also get the 6 minute version of Scarface. Edited for TV was bad enough:

"So where'd you get the beauty scar, tough guy? Eatin' pineapple?"

"How ya getta scar like that from eatin' pineapple, man?"

And this:

"Don't fool me, Tony. Don't you ever try to fool me."

My kids watch most of the movies we watch. They understand that someone that uses profanity does so because they are unable to express themselves any other way. They know that if there's a kid at school that can't complete a sentence without swearing, it's because he's not smart enough to come up with anything better. You can't shield them from that, unless they never leave the house. Even the Amish must have a mild oath or two. No biggie.

And they understand about sex and sexuality. They know that TV and the movies don't portray the real world of pregnancy and diseases, not to mention all the emotional issues. And there's nothing wrong with the human body. We have plenty of beaches nearby. They're not likely to see anything on TV or in a movie that they haven't seen at the beach or the local grocery store on a hot summer day.

You can't teach them right from wrong if they don't know what wrong looks like.

Would anyone want their kids to read a book about where the hero is born to an unwed mother? Another kid kills his brother, then lies about it? A woman betrays her husband? A man nailed to a cross by an angry mob? Slavery? Makes many movies look pretty tame.

^^^^ Only parents will understand your concerns, Darin.
Even supposedly harmless Disney ani films have stuff that is
offensive to me. Oh well...the world is changing.Somehow that Rolling Stones graphic seems out of place as your avatar.

The Lord of the Rings was written in the 1940s as a children's book, and the movie was adapted from that.
The Hobbit was written for kids, but LOTR was written for adults (EDIT: actually for all ages). It doesn't have Anglo Saxon expletives and it presents a very one-sided, romanticized view of war as a simple struggle between good and evil, when in the real world there is usually evil on both sides. But that's fine - it was intended to be a mythology, not a depiction of real life.

I disagree with some of the OP's ideas...for example, if I understood him he's not that concerned about violence in films, compared to the horror of being exposed to a cuss word....I don't get that. At the same time I'm shocked at some of the nastiness directed at him. That was completely uncalled for.

Darin's a good guy. But not everyone has his same Christian values. If he left the religion part out, he probably would have copped a lot less abuse.

I don't understand the whole "I'm a Christian" from anyone. Morals and values should not be tied to, nor are they exclusive to, any one religion.

Teach your children right from wrong, not matter what else you believe.

I hate an edited for content movie and refuse to watch them when they come on regular television. They often make no sense when the standards guys get done with them.
A kid who only sees the expurgated flick, unexposed to profanity and the occasional boob, may leave the nest pure of heart, but they will have a limited grasp of continuity as well.

Interestingly, someone mentioned Pulp Fiction. Lots of profanity, and it would make little sense if all the profanity were removed. No nudity, altho there is male on male rape,shown from a distance. Several people get killed but many more are saved from harm and one character has faith change when he witnesses a miracle.

Darin's a good guy. But not everyone has his same Christian values. If he left the religion part out, he probably would have copped a lot less abuse. He wasn't proselytising. He stated his views and we're all free to share or not share them.
RGC

I think the service the OP mentioned is a good idea, because it might keep the government's hand out of things(as Zig mentioned) and there seems to be a market for it-just as there is a market for clean CD's. I don't pretend to understand why anyone would want 'em, but if you do and you can get 'em, more power to ya! I can't stand films or music that's edited for content, but that's my view and I'm very comfortable with it. I mentioned in another thread a while back that I find it strange that WalMart sells edited CD's, but offers uncut DVD's. Makes no sense to me. Actually, I thought movies never got edited(except for TV, of course) until Darin proved me wrong.

As far as the "real" world goes, I think repressed/isolated life experiences are just excess waiting to happen. I know it doesn't happen to every child, but that's what happened to me(and many of my friends) when I left home. Seems to be a fairly common phenomena, especially in the U.S.

"gee-willikers, those bullets could hurt us, hurt us bad, Johnson!"
if i was drinking coffee when i read this it would be all over my keyboard/monitor right now!!

that was great, thanks for that!

Cleanfilms is also involved in a big ol' copyright infringement lawsuit, in case some of you missed it. It seems some of those uppity artists feel that their films are their own intellectual property, and don't like fundamentally altered versions of their work being sold . So that 15 minute copy of "Meet the Feebles" your kids love might make Peter Jackson downright angry. Google "DGA lawsuit cleanfilms" and you'll get the straight up story. Entrepreneurship is a good thing, but whether or not you should be able to screw with someone's intellectual property without permission is a good question.

For those of you with kids, ever heard of kid's movies? I mean,if I had kids, I certainly would rather they watch "Toy Story" than "Reservoir Dogs," whether it's the Director's Cut or the Cleanfilms-version. But that's just me.

I've seen that TV version of Pulp Fiction, and it sucks. I like gangsters, criminals and construction workers to talk like they exist in real life, not like some grade school play in Salt Lake City, (or any George Lucas movie,) and I think a clean version of some great movies would be unintentionally funny, sort of like Cleanfilms getting pwn3d in court. Again, some of you should question your motivation as parents when you'd rather your kids sit through a 2 minute "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" that sounds like an episode of "The 700 Club." Why does "parenthood" so often translate into "mediocrity" and/or "idiocy?"

it never fails to amaze me how people are so sensitive towards specific words and fail to realize that the subject matter they're watching is about murder, sex, drugs, or whatever. on prime time TV they'll show a dead body with a bullet through the person's head, but they can't say a 4 letter word. it's beyond comprehension to me.

Cleanfilms is also involved in a big ol' copyright infringement lawsuit, in case some of you missed it. It seems some of those uppity artists feel that their films are their own intellectual property, and don't like fundamentally altered versions of their work being sold . So that 15 minute copy of "Meet the Feebles" your kids love might make Peter Jackson downright angry. Google "DGA lawsuit cleanfilms" and you'll get the straight up story. Entrepreneurship is a good thing, but whether or not you should be able to screw with someone's intellectual property without permission is a good question.

For those of you with kids, ever heard of kid's movies? I mean,if I had kids, I certainly would rather they watch "Toy Story" than "Reservoir Dogs," whether it's the Director's Cut or the Cleanfilms-version. But that's just me.

I've seen that TV version of Pulp Fiction, and it sucks. I like gangsters, criminals and construction workers to talk like they exist in real life, not like some grade school play in Salt Lake City, (or any George Lucas movie,) and I think a clean version of some great movies would be unintentionally funny, sort of like Cleanfilms getting pwn3d in court. Again, some of you should question your motivation as parents when you'd rather your kids sit through a 2 minute "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" that sounds like an episode of "The 700 Club." Why does "parenthood" so often translate into "mediocrity" and/or "idiocy?"
Hmm, I was under the assumption that permission would've been sought before any editing would take place. Silly me! Of course, I wasn't interested enough in the subject to go lookin' around, either....:)

it never fails to amaze me how people are so sensitive towards specific words and fail to realize that the subject matter they're watching is about murder, sex, drugs, or whatever. on prime time TV they'll show a dead body with a bullet through the person's head, but they can't say a 4 letter word. it's beyond comprehension to me.
The sensitivity amazes me, as well, but I think viewers do realize what the subject matter is. It's just that we're taught, all our lives, that some things are acceptable, while others are not. It's dependent on culture, laws, etc., of course. Here, in America, it does strike me as very odd that graphic violence is acceptable, while cursing is not. I'd much rather get flipped off or cussed out than shot. Not that I speak from experience, but I'm pretty sure I don't wanna get shot. Sticks and stones....

So that 15 minute copy of "Meet the Feebles" your kids love might make Peter Jackson downright angry.

Great film. But 15 minutes seems pretty long for an edited cut.

On the issue of the right to edit a film, I believe – somebody correct me if I’m wrong – that the usual practice is for a film’s producer (who originally owns the rights) to sell various “other media” rights (like DVD) to another party who then owns the right to edit the film as he or she sees fit.

An exception comes to mind: not too long ago a controversy erupted when some company produced an edited version of Schindler’s List (without the nudity) but contrary to usual practice, producer/director Steven Spielberg had retained the right to “final cut” for all media – so he was able to successfully sue and prevent the edited version from being distributed.

As other posters have pointed out I think it’s far better to watch movies that were made to be child-friendly rather than butchered versions of R-rated movies.

With an older child, it might be beneficial to watch the R-rated film together and use it as a starting point for discussion – “we don’t use that language in our family but here’s why this character is realistically depicted speaking that way.” It could have an educational benefit.

BTW, this practice has been around for a long time – back in the day, I used to get so annoyed to see severely edited versions of good movies on airlines – and I was usually a captive audience.

Since "R" films often show nudity and graphically sexual scenes, would you also recommend watching that with your young kids as a way to start discussions?

My kids already know that foul language is not acceptable. We don't need to hear it to be reminded, or to discuss it further. Some movies are great, exept for the language. I personally cannot enjoy a movei that has foul language in it. It is not butchering a movie by removing the foulness. I choose not to have friends that use language. I have not butchered my life in anyway. I have made it more pleasant. Using foul language is weak and immature. Having to watch nudity in a movie is equally weak and immature. Stories are not furthered buy use of it. If you must see nudity, then you can find it without much effort. But why anyone recommend that a movie MUST have it to be entertainment is a weak argument. You can expose your kids to what ever you like. But again, I am thankful that butchered or not, I have a choice. I suspect that many of you are pro-choice are you not? Armegeddon is on the way to my house now. And without "language". :) Also Matrix, all 3 movies.

Since "R" films often show nudity and graphically sexual scenes, would you also recommend watching that with your young kids as a way to start discussions?



To me, nudity and explicit sex are not the same thing. IMHO, there’s way two much explicit sex in movies today and I’m stumped to come up with a case where it was necessary to tell the story being told. But I don’t see nudity as being inherently immoral or “dirty”. In Schindler’s List, the nudity depicted wasn’t sexy but showed the horror of how the Nazis running WWII prison camps treated Jews and other prisoners – it wasn’t about sex. I might add that this movie is inappropriate for younger children but has tremendous potential as educational material, nudity and all.

Darin, I agree with to the extent that there’s too much foul language in movies today but I do believe that some real-life stories cannot be told authentically if the language is sanitized. Take the case of Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas (a 1990 movie based on an biography of Henry Hill, a retired gangster) -- removing the bad language would render the characters unrealistically. Low-level New Jersey gangsters were (are) nasty folks who don’t respect the conventions of polite conversation. This is a great, thought-provoking film but it’s not appropriate for kids, incidentally.

Favorite (edited) Bruce Willis quote: Yippie-Ki-Yay, My Friend! :lol:

Favorite (edited) Bruce Willis quote: Yippie-Ki-Yay, My Friend! :lol:
Yeah, I cracked up when I saw that on TV. Crackin' up now just thinkin' about it.:lol: Editing has the power to turn many films into unintentional comedies for folks who've already seen 'em.

You know, one or two instances or cursing or nudity edited out will not ruin the movies that I have seen gratuitous nudity or cursing in. I think studios and film makers are stupid to ignore the movie audience for this "little" editing. All too many times nudity/cursing(the "F" word especially) is in one brief scene, solely to avoid the "dreaded" G rating. If it doesn't further the story, it can be cut out.

But what scares me is that you will que up all three Matrix movies, but you don't want your kids to see the sex in the second one. . .BUT you will let them watch the shoot-'em-up parts? Do you realize how many people are killed in just the first movie alone? I am especially thinking about when Neo and Trinity go in to rescue Morpheus. They kill all those guards who are just doing their jobs . . .
And cut it all out? Why watch the movie?

What kills me is there are PLENTY of movies to watch with your kids, good movies, no-cussin' movies, no-sex-nudity movies. My kids have watched everything from old musicals to the original Frankenstein, Abbot and Costello to Apollo 13 (is that the right number?), Old, original Star Trek television shows to Star Trek: The Next Generation, ---come on there is wayy too much to watch without *******izingly editing a film/show/movie for "family watching".

Now that our kids are older they watch the movies with us and the movies are still sometimes vetted by my husband and me for content, but if something slips by or is necessary for the film, they know that it is all fake, they know that their behaivour should not be dictated by the stuff they see in films and they know that they better not use that language in everyday conversation--around us and family especially.

Try old films, black and white films, old adventure movies (Robin Hood! Ben Hur! The Egyptian!). Try Westerns, musicals, comedies. Try stuff older than the last 15 years. There is a ton of stuff out there. Think of the movies you saw as a kid, try those. Ask your parents, older relatives what they remember as good movies, try those.

It's a great big movie world out there to explore, and most of it doesn't need to be bowdlerized to watch with your kids.

Edited or not, I couldn't get more than 5 minutes into The Matrix without falling asleep. Must have been the ever-captivating Keanu Reeves and his brilliant acting.